


Ocean Waves

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Suicide, Selkie - Freeform, holy shit this got dark, shark attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-08 06:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11641143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After discovering a family secret in his fathers diary, Ronaldo sets out to learn the truth! Inspired by thelonefryman's selkie AU





	1. Chapter 1

The reflection of the quarter moon shimmered with the movement of the waves, which lapped gradually higher up the beach with the raising tide, Ronaldo crept silently across the sand, sandaled feet sinking slightly, his arms carrying a large wooden chest, unremarkable aside from the padlocks that prevented it from being opened so easily, as well as a diary, with the name Peter F. Fryman etched on its cover.

Stopping to look for a place to test if what he had read was true, his eyes fell upon a rocky outcrop, setting his sights on a flattish rock nearby, he started walking once again, alone aside from the sound of the waves and the crunching of sand beneath his feet.

Upon reaching the flattish rock, he carefully set the chest down, before opening the diary to the last page, there, taped to the inside of the back cover, was a key, which, with any luck, would unlock the wooden chest, granting access to the objects his father had written of, carefully pulling away the tape so as not to damage the diary, Ronaldo reached into his pocket to retrieve the flashlight, before picking the key up, and, aiming the beam at the keyhole, tried it on one of the padlocks.

The key turned easily in the padlock, which clicked and fell away, quickly, he undid the other lock, and then, trembling in excitement, he opened the chest, there, he found two lovingly wrapped packages, one labeled with the name of his brother, and the other, his own.

He reached for the one labeled as his, hands curling gently around it, as though it may crumble away, he carefully unwrapped it, and unfolded the sealskin that had been kept safely within.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still need a beta reader


	2. Chapter 2

The skin-his skin- was warm, and when he brushed it across something, he could feel it, for a moment, he wondered why he couldn't before, and then he realized he had always had feeling in the skin, but, as with the sounds of birds singing in the trees, he had grown so used to the feeling of cloth on his fur, that he simply didn't notice it anymore, and when it vanished, it took him a moment to realize it was gone.

Ronaldo shined the beam of the flashlight on the skin, the thick fur covering the outer side was the same color as his own heir, and he wondered if there was a species of seal with thick fur like that, of if that was just a selkie thing. Deciding he'd check later, Ronaldo maneuvered the seal-skin onto his back.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then his body began to tingle, and he was falling, squeezing his eyes shut, he could feel his hands and arms shrink into flippers, and his legs vanish into his body as his spine, and then, nothing happened. Ronaldo opened his eyes cautiously, the world around him seemed brighter, but fuzzy, he shook his head, realizing his glasses had most likely fallen off whilst he was transforming.

Ronaldo sighed,he couldn't very well pick up his glasses with flippers, it was only then that he realized he didn't actually know how to change back, panic rising in his stomach, he reared up, and began clawing at his chest, desperately trying to free himself from his own skin, but only succeeding in tipping himself onto his back and into the water, to be dragged away by the current.


	3. Chapter 3

Ronaldo struggled against the ocean tide, but the current was strong, and he was new to this form, and as such it was all he could do to struggle to the surface for a breath, it was like this for hours, until, the sky growing bright with the coming dawn, he gathered his energy and, in a final move of desperation, launched himself sideways.

The current that had dragged him so far away from shore was nonexistent just a few feet to left, Ronaldo, shaken, swam to the surface to breathe and get his bearings, after a few minutes of just sitting there, getting a hold of his breath and catching a few valuable moments of rest, he glanced about, although he couldn't see that well without his glasses, Ronaldo still spotted the smudge on the horizon that indicated land.

Steeling himself for the long journey ahead, Ronaldo started swimming.

.........................

1:26 P.M., Peedee, eyes red from crying, stared at the clock sitting on his bedside table, he had woken up at 7:30 that morning, as usual, and as usual, he had gone to awaken his brother in the neighboring room, only to find his bed empty, at first, Peedee had assumed that his elder sibling had merely spent the night in the lighthouse again, but there was no sign of him in there either.

Upon realizing his brother had vanished, he had run to get his father, when he heard the the news, Mr. Fryman had been quick to comfort his youngest, telling him to stay here, he would find Ronaldo, everything would be fine. Knowing his brother, Peedee hadn't believed him.

Deciding that a walk may help take his mind off things, he rolled off of his bed, left his room, went down stairs, exited his house, and headed towards the beach, arriving just in time to see his brother rise out of the ocean, dripping wet and missing his glasses.

Peedee ran to his brother and wrapped his arms around him, sobbing in relief, after a moment, Ronaldo returned the hug, "hey, Peedee, it's okay" he said, sounding exhausted after the long swim, "where were you?" asked Peedee, letting go of his brother to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Ronaldo grinned, "Peedee, we are selkies" he said, eyes shining with excitement. No, no no, Peedee thought, not again, his brother had a long history of stuff like this, sometimes even taking it so far as to cause property damage, he'd even nearly killed his own brother once, Ronaldo needed help, but when Peedee tried to tell their father there was something wrong, he was dismissed, it was just a faze, he had said.

 As it stood, all Peedee could do was humor his brother, and make sure no one was injured, "yeah" he said, pulling his brother towards the shore, "I know, let's get you home" Ronaldo glared at him " Peedee, I'm serious" he reached down, and pulled what looked like some sort of animal skin from the water "look, here's my skin" Peedee stared in horror, "Ronaldo, where did you get that" he asked, a hint of fear entering his voice.

"It was folded up in that trunk that Dad keeps locked" he said, " and it's actually mine, I left the trunk on a rock, I'll show you", Peedee sighed, "fine, we'll get the trunk, dry out that... thing" he said, gesturing at the skin in Ronaldo's arms, "and then we can put everything back as we found it and pretend none of this ever happened, okay?" he glared meaningfully at his brother, who replied with "I will prove I'm telling the truth" he glanced around at the beach, it wasn't crowded, but there where still a lot of people he didn't recognize, " when there aren't as many people" he said quietly.

The two of them then waded to the shore, and started heading towards where Ronaldo had left the chest the night before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit when did this get dark

The two siblings walked down the beach in silence, side by side, sand slipping into their shoes and making the walk that much more uncomfortable, untill Peedee said "are you sure you don't want to get something to drink first? Ronaldo shook his head, "I left everything down there, including Dad's diary, and your skin" Peedee looked at his brother, "you took Dad's diary?" he said, quietly, Ronaldo looked down " erm, well.." he trailed off, Peedee put his face in his hands "never mind, let's just get everything and go home".

After a few more moments of silence, Ronaldo said "you still don't believe me, do you", Peedee looked away, "well, uhh" he paused, awkwardly, before continuing " this sort of thing isn't new, you've done it thousands of times, why should I believe now is any different?" he sounded defeated, his voice low.

"I know about... that" Ronaldo turned his gaze towards the ocean, unwilling to discuss his problem, " but I haven't been hearing or... seeing, things" he gulped nervously, and then continued " recently, and I have evidence" he held up the sealskin in his arms for emphasis.

Peedee's concern for his brother deepened "wait, you see things?" he said, his voice rising involuntarily, Ronaldo glanced at his younger sibling, eyes widening, "we're here" he said, obviously eager to change the subject.

The chest was just where he had left it, sitting on the flattish rock, with his fathers diary next on to it,on the cloth Ronaldo's skin had been wrapped in, and his brothers sealskin still inside, he reached into it and handed Peedee his skin, Peedee turned it over in his hands, reading his own name written on the label, and then carefully opened it, feeling the sun's heat hit his fur, he dropped it in surprise and leaped back, shivering when it hit the sand "GAH!" he looked at the sealskin suspiciously .

"Ronaldo, why is it doing that?" he said, hands fumbling at the hem of his shirt,  
Ronaldo turned from flipping through his father's diary, "ah, I forgot to mention that, the skin has feeling in it" he turned back to the book in his hands, "this is the page where I learned where these where kept" Peedee rolled his eyes, "Ronaldo, you shouldn't read Dad's diary" he said, grabbing the journal and turning it so he could see the words written on the page in question.

"that BITCH, I can't believe she actually burned it, I told her how that would affect me, how much pain I'd be in, the second little Ronnie sheds his skin, I'm putting it somewhere safe, I wouldn't put anything past her".

"huh, Sounds like her" muttered Peedee, before realizing there was nothing about where their sealskins had been hidden, he looked at Ronaldo, "invisible ink" he said, shrugging, his voice was hoarse, and he seemed tired  "it said where the chest was hidden" Peedee looked at him with worry for what seemed like the thousandth time today "I believe you now, but we should probably home, you don't look so good" Ronaldo nodded, they put everything in the box, and carrying it between them, walked home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so, I'm looking for a beta reader, if your interested, shoot me an ask at lowliz, which is my tumblr


	5. Chapter 5

Their father still wasn't home when they got back, Ronaldo grabbed some water, and then went to bed, leaving Peedee to process everything he had learned.

So, they where selkies, sure, he hadn't seen his brother as a seal, or become one himself, but the when he had touched his sealskin, he knew his brother had been right, even now, he could feel the cloth on his fur, folded up and tucked back where it had been found so their father wouldn't know what they had discovered.

Peedee reached into his pocket, wondering if he should call his father, tell him he can come home now, Ronaldo has turned up, and is safe in bed right now, he was snapped out of his thoughts by his brothers voice, "Peedee?" he said, voice quiet, Peedee turned to face him, he had a worried expression, and looked like he had been crying.

"Yeah?" Ronaldo shuffled nervously, he looked like he might start crying again,  voice shaky, he said " please don't tell anyone about" he paused, glancing at his feet "what I said", Peedee's brow furrowed, "are you talking about us being selkies? Becouse-" Ronaldo cut him off "NO, I'm talking about me HEARING VOICES" there was silance, Peedee stared at his brother, shocked and concerned, just as much at the outburst as what his brother had actually said, Ronaldo shied away " I'm sorry" he said, ashamed "I just... don't know what they'd think of me".

Peedee walked over and put his hand as close to his brothers shoulder as he could reach, "Ronaldo, I promise I won't tell anyone around town" he said "but you have to say something to Dad" Ronaldo backed away from his younger sibling " he'd send me away" he said, before breaking down into a sobbing heap, curled against the wall.

"Ronaldo, he'd never do that, not to either of us" he said, offering his brother a tentative hug, Ronaldo pulled Peedee into a bear hug, and continued to cry for several minutes, before finally calming down enough to go back up to his room, Peedee then realized that he should probably call his father now, and let him know his eldest was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Peedee dialed his fathers number, and, immediately, he was answered, "Peedee, is everything okay? Is it about your brother?" Peedee nodded unconsciously "yes, he-" Mr. Fryman cut him off "oh gosh, is he okay? Did he kill anybody? Did he get himself killed?".

"Dad, calm down" Peedee said "he a just appeared, walking down the beach, tired, but unharmed, he's asleep now" he heard a sigh of relief from the other end of the phone "thank goodness, I'm an hour away, make sure he doesn't get lost again" Peedee said "I will" and hung up.

Still worried about his brother, he went upstairs to check on him, peeking around Ronaldo's door, he found him curled around his pillow, peacefully asleep, he smiled, glad that his older sibling had been able to get to sleep, despite how distressed he was earlier, thinking about that, Peedee frowned, he just didn't know what to do, he knew now more then ever that his brother needed help, but he didn't know what he could do about it.

Their father wouldn't listen, he was sure, and he had promised not to tell anyone else, not that they could do much about it anyway,  he looked at the clock, 3:30 PM, his father wouldn't be home for a while, sighing, he decided to make a snack, and try to put everything to the back of his mind.

..............................................................................

Ronaldo was still asleep when Peter got home, Peedee said he needed rest, so he didn't try to wake him, His youngest had said that Ronaldo had been having trouble getting to sleep, and had decided to go for a walk along the beach, he must have been distracted or something, because after a bit, he looked around, and realized he was lost.

Peter sighed, he would never say it to his face, but he was disappointed in his eldest sometimes, he was nearly seventeen, but he rarely helped with the fryshop, always running off to do who knows what, and now getting lost for half a day on the beach he had lived at for eleven years.

He got up from the couch in the small room living room, and went through the door leading into the fryshop, he then walked to the service window, he loved his kids, of course, but, he thought, gazing mournfully at the ocean through the glass, things could have been much better.


	7. Chapter 7

After a few hours of just staring at the ocean waves, Peter realized it was getting dark, and a wave of exhaustion swept over him, it had been a stressful day, he went back upstairs, and, checking on Ronaldo one last time, went to bed.

...............................................................

Ronaldo jerked awake, and looked at the clock mounted on his wall, realizing he had taken his glasses off before bed, he grabbed them, and tried again, 12:43, everyone else was probably asleep, after a moment, he remembered what he'd said to his brother. He never had promised not to tell Dad. Ronaldo frowned, knowing about his condition, he doubted they'd want him around anymore.

He felt tears prickling his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away, he could cry later, he had things to do now, he crawled out of bed, and crept out the door, thinking he'd heard talking, he froze, but after a minute, there was nothing, he continued on his journey, and snuck towards the closet where he knew the chest to be kept.

Opening the door slowly, so it wouldn't creek so much, he fumbled for the light,and was momentarily blinded when it switched on in his face, after taking a second to rub his eyes, he carefully opened the chest, which he had forgotten to lock earlier, he slowly removed his skin, and then snuck down the stairs, and out the back door, into the night.

It wasn't a long walk to the beach from where he lived, once he got to the shore, he slipped the skin over his head, and swam into the night. Although his night vision was better as a seal, his glasses didn't work well underwater, he swam north, staying close to the shore, a few hours later, with the sun peaking over the horizon, he stopped for to rest for a bit, after a moment, he noticed a boat with two people riding in it, photographing him with their phones, although the two didn't seem intent on coming any closer, he decided to keep an eye on them anyway.

Ronaldo dozed in the water, the people on the boat watching him intently, when suddenly, jaws clamped around his side, he struggled as the people on the boat started shouting, and then charged towards them, they succeeded in in scaring off the shark, but Ronaldo was horribly injured, he tried to swim toward shore, but it was all he could do to stay afloat,and before long, he had passed out.


	8. Chapter 8

Peter awoke to his youngest son desperately shaking him, and crying uncontrollabley, " Peedee, what's going on, are you okay?" he asked, disoriented at being awoken so abruptly, Peedee rubbed his eyes, after taking a moment to compose himself, he said "Ronaldo's gone again, I-" he swallowed, before continuing, "I think he ran away" Peter shook his head in disbelief, " no, he always seemed happy here, why would he run away? Your sure he didn't just get lost again?" to Peedee, it almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"He let slip that he heard voices sometimes" Peedee spoke quietly, head lowered " I don't think he meant to tell me" there was a pause, "he begged me not to tell anyone, he thought we'd send him away, I'd always suspected, but..." the youngest Fryman trailed off.

 Peter felt ill, remembering when Peedee had said something about his eldest acting strangely, staying up late, and speaking incoherently to people who weren't there.He had denied that anything could have been wrong, they couldn't afford for there to be anything wrong, and human medication wouldn't work for a selkie,in hindsight, he should have done something, there may not have been much he could have done, but at least his son might have felt supported.

He got out of bed, saying " I'm going to look for him, stay here, he'll be fine" he pulled his youngest into a hug, " I promise" Peedee shook out of his grip, "errm, there's something you should know", before Peter could ask what he meant, his youngest had left the room, rushing to follow him, he found his son standing in front of the very closet that he had hidden their skins, he opened it, and found the chest out in the open, and unlocked, when he opened it, he realized that, to his horror, Ronaldo's sealskin was missing.

"I don't know how he found out" said Peedee from behind him, "but he showed me yesterday, thats where he was all morning" he paused a moment, "I didn't believe him at first, I thought it was a delusion" he swallowed " I confronted him about it, he said he hadn't been hearing things recently"another pause, " it wasn't until we got home that he asked me not to tell, it had slipped my mind by then", Peter stood up, " I'm going to get a boat, and I will scour the ocean" he turned to his remaining son "have you worn yours yet?" Peedee shook his head "no, Ronaldo was exhausted once he got back, so we just carried them home".

"Well, your going to have to" Peter glanced to the side, "I... lost mine" Peedee nodded, and he and his father went to get a boat.


	9. Chapter 9

When Ronaldo regained consciousness, his glasses where missing,and he was in some sort of enclosure, looking around, he noted a pool on one side, large enough for him to swim in, and objects scattered about which he couldn't identify, he turned, painfully, to examine himself, he was in seal form, and it appeared that his injuries had been sutured.

He heard footsteps approaching, and the sound of a conversation, as they got closer, he picked up what they where saying, "..wearing glasses, have you heard of a wild seal with glasses?" said the first one, "he could have picked them up somewhere" replied a second voice, "sad to say, the ocean is full of junk" they seemed to have stopped close by, but the walls of the enclosure prevented him from seeing anyone.

"You saw him, those glasses where on properly, I doubt a seal in the wild could do that" said the first speaker, "well, yeah, but I have them right here, they work fine, I know because I can't see" the first voice drew a breath, "get those off your-" they where cut off at this, as Ronaldo had started shouting,"THOSE ARE MINE, I NEED THEM TO SEE " the first one responded to this with "what the- why is he making that racket?", the second voice responded to their companion with" I don't know, maybe he's hungry?".

Ronaldo, frustrated, stopped trying to talk, and started gesturing at at his eyes with his flippers, "it looks like theres something wrong with his eye, I'm-" Ronaldo turned to face where there voices where coming from, and glared, there was a pause, " did you see that?" asked the second one, "yeah" said the first one, sounding unsettled, " it's like he understands us" said the second one, "he's just turning in the direction of our voices, I don't think he actually understands what we"re saying, I'm going to..." there voices trailed off as they wandered away from his enclosure.

Ronaldo settled down, he'd heard of places like this, he'd be kept here until his wounds healed, and then they'd let him go somewhere, he could live with that, just lie low for a while, at least it was a place where he could sleep and eat, even if it would be raw fish, it was better then someone in his position could reasonably expect.

But he wasn't making the same mistake again, the second they let him go, he was back on two legs, the ocean was too dangerous for his liking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I still want a beta reader, if you are interested, contact me here. https://lowliz.tumblr.com/


	10. Chapter 10

Father and son sat in a wooden boat, a harness attached to the end of a long rope tucked under one of the seats, Peter rowed along the shore, searching for a place where his son could transform without being seen, Peedee, set across from him, stared out at sea, tapping rhythmically, and trying not to think about what he might end up seeing.

Finding a place devoid of people, Peter stopped rowing, and said "ready?" Peedee nodded, he put on the sealskin, then his father helped him into the harness, and placed him in the water. As he scanned the ocean floor for any sign of Ronaldo, Peedee was afraid, both worried that he wouldn't find his brother, and terrified that he might. Thankfully seeing nothing, he surfaced, and shook his head.

They searched for hours, Peter scanning the waves, and his son searching beneath them, and still they found nothing, until Peedee surfaced after once again failing to spot any sign of his sibling, and instead of moving to another area, his father had said they should rest,and helped him back on the boat, he had then removed the harness that he had given his son so as not to risk losing another child to the waves,and Peedee had shed his skin, they then traveled to shore.

Peedee wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for the gulls, he had noticed one pecking at something, and with a sick feeling growing in his stomach, chased it off. What it had been pecking at was a familiar tuft of blonde fur, attached to a chunk of skin and blubber. Tears clouding his vision, he had called for his father, who rushed over, and, giving out a nearly animal cry of grief, snatched what was left of his eldest from the shore, and cradled it in his arms.

..................................................................................

The fryshop was closed for two days, they never told anyone how Ronaldo had died, but his condition hadn't been as secret as he had thought, and after they chose a close casket funeral, rumors circled.

Lars hadn't gone, he hadn't been up to going, opting instead to hide in his room and cry, but he had visited Ronaldo's grave, when it was over, and everyone had left, he stared at the impassive stone, and murmured "I'm sorry" the stone replied in the costumery way: dead silence, " I loved you, you know, I didn't tell you because" he choked up "because I didn't want to be seen with you, I thought you where a freak, and-" he swallowed "and that if anyone saw me with you, even just as friends, then they'd think I was a freak too, real shitty of me, considering... what happened" reading the words etched onto the grave he chuckled, humorlessly, "the good die young, eh, well, I guess that makes me immortal".

He stared at the grave for a while, before an unthinkable thought struck him " oh god, I didn't.. drive you too this, did I?" he remembered after they'd stopped being friends, when he'd mocked Ronnie for things he'd been told in confidence,  and later, behaviors everyone knew where out of the teens control, he began to break down, desperately apologizing to someone who could no longer hear him.


	11. Chapter 11

Ronaldo swam around the pool of a new enclosure which he had been moved to not long after waking up in the seal rescue center, other seals in the water watching him from a distance. His behavior upon arriving had led to an eye examination, and they had discovered his terrible eyesight, and quickly figured out that he hadn't been raised in the wild, he didn't know what would happen to him now.

He swam swiftly about the enclosure, the worst thing about being trapped here was the boredom, there was nothing to do, and he wanted to do something other then swim in circles. He dragged himself out of the water, and began making drawings in the sand with his flippers, He wished he could see how they looked.

....................................................

Peter dragged himself out of bed, and went to open the fryshop, he hadn't wanted to do it so soon after the death of his eldest, but they didn't have many options. Peedee was in bed, still to busy grieving to help out, it had only been a few days since the funeral.

.........................................................

Peedee was huddled under his blanket, watching a show that his brother had liked on his phone. It wasn't anything he'd normally be interested in, just some supernatural investigation stuff, but he remembered that Ronaldo talked about it a lot, even more then Koala Princess. Peedee missed Ronaldo talking about his favorite shows, even if he hadn't liked them himself.

Ronaldo had always liked to talk about his favorite things. And to randomly sing the song "favorite things", Peedee never got that song.


	12. Chapter 12

It was dark now, the lights having been turned out to allow the seals to sleep, but despite not having slept much since getting here, Ronaldo was having trouble drifting off, unable to calm his thoughts, but he finally managed it after a couple of hours.

His dreams showed him images of home, bringing him back to his friends and family, before changing to nightmares.

.........................................................

It was roughly five in the morning, and Tierney was checking on the seals after the night, nothing had seemed out of place, until he got to the last enclosure. A teenage boy was asleep on the sand, clutching what appeared to be the skin of one of the seals that had been staying there.

The implications of this where not lost on Tierney, and a feeling of horror crept up on him, he slipped into the enclosure and grabbed the teen to drag him out, but his eyes snapped open, and he pulled out of his grasp with surprising strength, "what do you want with me?" he demanded, backing against the enclosure wall, one arm holding the skin close to his body as the other grasping for a weapon.

It was clear the teen didn't have a good grasp on what was going on, and was probably on drugs. Considering what he'd done to Charlie, Tierney didn't feel like dealing with him alone, he reached for his walkie-talkie "hey, I need some help here" he glanced at the teen watching him from the wall "there's some creepy kid, I think he's high on somethi-" he was cut off when the teen lunged at him, knocking the walkie-talkie out of his hands, before slipping away through the exit, showing more planning and speed then Tierney had thought him capable of.

He rushed out of the enclosure, being sure to close the door behind him,It seemed he had underestimated the teen, a voice came out of the walkie-talkie " what's going on, what happened?" they asked, picking up the device, Tierney answered " he attacked me and ran off, I think killed Charlie" there was a pause, "WHAT? NO, why?".

"He isn't in the enclosure, and I didn't get a good look, but the kid seemed to be carrying the skin of a seal of the right species and size, I don't know what he did with the rest of him" after a moment, they said " we'll have to find him before he does anything, you look, I'll make sure everything goes as normal" nodding, aTierney said "got it", before starting on the search.


	13. Chapter 13

Ronaldo was huddled in the back of what he assumed to be a janitorial closet, holding his skin to his chest, and nursing the wound in his side. Of all the things he feared would happen, he hadn't considered this, having being caught asleep in an enclosure full of wild seals was going to raise a lot of questions that he didn't know how to answer. Realizing something, he glanced down, hopefully they didn't notice his skin, it could look bad to be carrying around something like that in place like this.

He went to hide  it up his shirt, but in the process, his elbow bumped into something in the dark, causing a loud crash, startled, he scrambled up, but tripped when his foot came down on something in the darkness, and he fell hard against the wall, crying out when his injured side whacked against it. Footsteps approached, growing quickly louder, before the door burst open, and two figures appeared in the doorway.

One of them started forward, but was stopped when their neighbor but their hands on their shoulder, "wait" he said "that's him, we have to be careful" Ronaldo, heart racing, grabbed his skin off the ground and scrambled to his feet, fully prepared to fight if necessary, the person who had started forwards paused to look at him for a moment, before cautiously stepping towards him, saying gently " don't worry, we're not going to harm you" they glanced at the sealskin, nervously, "ju-just come with us".

Ronaldo eyed them carefully, holding the skin closer to his chest, before barreling past them and running down the hall. He was fast, but they knew the layout, and his side hurt, and after a few minutes of outpacing them, someone came around a corner, and managed to grab him by the skin.

Feeling nails digging painfully into his fur as the force of his tore open the not yet healed wounds, his yelp of pain startling his captor into releasing the sealskin, he fell, and was quickly surrounded. He held his skin close, stroking his own fur, and wondering what would happen now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha, I need a beta reader


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have edited the previous chapter

Ronaldo shifted uncomfortably in the chair he had been made to sit in after being captured not five minutes earlier, glaring at his captures and hugging his bloodied skin close, watching for any indication that they where going to try to take it again. "-clearly a seal murderer, we should-" hearing this accusation, he stood suddenly, and, gesturing as he spoke, said " HEY, for your information, I didn't kill anyone" he glared angrily around at the people who had captured him "and IT'S MY SKIN, I can prove it" carefully, he moved the sealskin to an angle were the injuries he had sustained from the shark attack that had landed him here where visible.

"I " he said, rolling up his shirt to reveal his side, " have the very same scar",although it hadn't shown through the red of his shirt, the gash on his side was bleeding, Ronaldo, shocked to see that he was in such a state, fell over.

Looking as smug as it is possible to be whilst in horrible pain, Ronaldo said "I rest my case" noticing someone trying to snatch it, he pulled his skin closer to himself and glared the perpetrator, "you don't believe me, you think I'm crazy, just like-" at the thought of home, and how he had been treated by him, Ronaldo found himself too upset to continue. Ever since they had stopped being friends, Lars had mocked him mercilessly about everything whenever they'd cross paths, even about things he himself liked.

And things Ronaldo couldn't help, even the harmless stuff he'd always done. He didn't know how Lars knew of his more recent issues, but one thing was for sure, he wasn't the person Ronaldo had fallen in love with when they where children, not anymore. Ronaldo was jostled out of his bitter thought by the feeling of someone attempting to move him, and, more importantly, hands brushing against his fur as they closed around the sealskin.

Scrambling up painfully, he knocked them away, saying "let go of me!", he tried to fight them off, but he was starting to feel light headed,and, clutching his skin to himself, he passed out.


	15. Chapter 15

Ronaldo was laying on something, having just woken up, was hardly aware of his surroundings beyond this. Slowly, he realized that he couldn't hear the sounds of his fellow seals going about their business, trying to ignore his growing sense of dread, he lay for several seconds, before his gnawing worry got the best of him, and he opened his eyes.

He appeared to be laying in a hospital bed, and in human form, heart racing, he sat up, only to feel pain in his side. Remembering the incident that had taken place... yesterday? Yeah, probably yesterday, he began to calm down, before realizing that his skin was nowhere near him, and felt like it was being handled. Panicked, he climbed out of bed, and rushed from the room, only to barrel headlong into someone who had been unfortunate enough to be on their way in, knocking them over.

Startled, Ronaldo leaped back, yelping out an "I'm sorry"" as he did so, the person he had ran into stood up easily, "I'm fine" they said, before narrowing their eyes at him, "but you have to get back to you're room" they went to put their hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away, "don't worry" they said, tone sweet, "just go back to bed, and some people will talk to you in the morning".

Ronaldo shot them with a glare, "what did you do to my skin?" he demanded, anger replacing any sense of remorse he may have had after bulling them over earlier, they put up their hands in a reassuring gesture, "it's fine"  they said hastily, "we'll let you have it back when  you're ready to leave". Ronaldo lightened up, "oh, in that case, is there anything to eat here? I've been eating raw fish for days" he stared at them hopefully, shifting his weight from leg to leg, after a moment, they said "no" and ushered him back to his room.


	16. Chapter 16

Once again,Ronaldo found himself sitting awkwardly before an inquisitive stranger, before the person across from him could speak, he said " when do I get my skin back?", he spoke quickly, there was a pause, before the person sitting across from him said "ah, yes, right here" and handed him something soft, and vaguely the right color.

The moment Ronaldo touched it, he realized it wasn't his skin, he could feel with his skin. He stood up to glare at the person across from him, and said "what did you do to it?", a hint of desperation creeping into his voice, the person in front of him coughed, "ah, please sit down, we're here to help, but we need to ask you some questions first" they said, Ronaldo sat down, before saying " I know it's real, I am a selkie, and I could prove it, just give me my skin", his tone was serious.

"We'll give it to you, don't worry" they said, kindly, before saying "what's your  name?" there was a pause, realizing they where humoring him, Ronaldo, he stood back up, and said "I know your game" he snarled "you pretend to believe me, act like your my friend, BEFORE YOU ABANDON ME!" tears had began to well in his eyes, but he blinked them away. There was a pause, Ronaldo sat down, "sorry" he muttered, looking away, after a moment,he said "it's Ronaldo Fryman" he twisted the blanket in his hands, the person across from him then said "and... how old are you?".

"Sixteen" scribble, "and the name of your legal guardian?", at the thought of his father, Ronaldo felt tears swelling in his eyes once again, he tried to prevent himself from crying, but this time, it was to no avail. He began to sob loudly into the blanket that the person in front of him had tried to pass off as his skin, they were silent now, waiting for him to calm enough to speak, eventually, Ronaldo was able to say his fathers name through his tears.

After writing down the name, and giving Ronaldo some time to calm down, they said " can you tell me how you wound up in the seal rescue centre?" Ronaldo nodded, "after I found out what I am, I decided to run away, I swam away down the beach in seal form, but was attacked by a shark, when I awoke, I was in the centre, I was stuck there for days, before just waking up as a human".

As they wrote down his story, they could feel Ronaldo's eyes on them, "you think I'm crazy, don't you", his tone was flat, oddly emotionless, a great shift from nervous boy they'd seen earlier. They considered what to say, before just deciding to go on with the questions, "do you have any known health issues?".

" I have vision problems, I can't see much without my glasses, but I lost them when I was a seal, uh..." Ronaldo seemed to be considering something, "and uh, I have some..." he paused for a moment, before continuing "minor seasonal allergies", they nodded, and said "any known psychiatric issues?", Ronaldo shifted nervously, if he admitted anything, then he doubted that his skin would be returned to him, on the other hand, they probably suspected something already, then again, they had said known, and it wasn't like anyone other then himself knew about it, he shook his head, they put a hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him, and said "you don't have to lie, this is a safe place", their tone was gentle, but Ronaldo looked away, and refused to say any more.

...........................................................

Mr. Fryman had just finished giving someone their order, when his phone rang, moving to answer the phone, he said " who's this?", a voice on the other side said "is this Peter Fryman?".

"Yes, what is it?" he said, growing suspicious, "this is ___ hospital" said the voice on the phone, "someone claiming to be your son was brought in yesterday, they were suffering from blood loss, and in need of a transfusion".


	17. Chapter 17

"Wha-" Mr. Fryman found himself grasping for words, "what, why, is he okay?" he managed to choke out, still reeling from what he had just heard, "he had injuries consistent with those resulting from a shark attack, he seems fine, we will keep him for a couple days, then you can take him home" Mr. Fryman wiped away tears, "thank you" he said, "thank you so much".

After hanging up, he burst into his son's room and, overwhelmed with joy, said "Peedee, your brothers alive!".

............................................

Peedee was seated next to his father as he drove the family van towards the hospital where his brother had turned up. When his father had burst into his room, announcing that Ronaldo was alive, he hadn't entirely believed it. Briefly, he had suspected that his father was playing some form of cruel prank, but... his father wouldn't do that to him, and he seemed certain.

Peedee could hardly believe it, a couple days ago, he had been picking at super, unable to shake the memory of finding what he had thought was left of his brother, only a couple days previously. Upon hearing that his brother was alive, he had nearly burst into tears, in the week his brother had been gone, he hadn't done much beyond hide in his room, and throw things at Lars when he caught him staring at the shop.

Lars... Peedee sighed, he didn't understand how someone could go from friend to bully so quickly, and then act like he cared when the object of his torment died. He was jarred out of his thoughts when his father put a hand on his shoulder, "we're here" he said, barely concealing his exitement, the two of them walked into the building.

Telling his son to stay, Mr. Fryman went up to the desk to speak to the receptionist, after a few moments, he returned, and said "we're going to see him now", the two of them followed a nurse down the hall, until he stopped in front of one of the rooms, "and this is it" he said, opening the door.

Ronaldo had been facing away from them when they came in, when he heard the door swing open, he turned to face them. His glasses where missing, and he had bags under his eyes, "Ronaldo!" said Peter, stepping towards him, recognizing the voice of his father, he smiled, "Dad, Peedee!" he said, rushing over and wrapping his arms around them in a bear hug, "Ronaldo"said Peedee, "I missed you" he muttered, before breaking down, and sobbing into his brothers shirt, Peter was silent, holding his eldest protectively.

After they where done with their reunion, Peter turned to the nurse, and said "I can't thank you enough, I-" he began to choke up, but still managed to speak "I didn't expect to see him again" the nurse shrugged, "I didn't find him" he said, before wandering off somewhereq.

.............................................

The Fryman family left the hospital, piled into the van, and began the journey home, after a moment of silence, Peter said "I'm sorry I couldn't get your skin back", Ronaldo was silent, so Peter continued, "and I'm sorry I didn't do anything, didn't try to get you help, but," he sighed "I was scared, I didn't want there to be anything wrong, and I was so afraid of there being something wrong, that I hid from it until it was-" he swallowed " was almost to late".

Ronaldo still didn't answer. Growing worried, Peter glanced at his eldest through the mirror, only to see that he had fallen asleep, Peedee was staring out the window, a calm smile on his face, and looking half asleep himself. Peter turned the radio on, and kept driving.

..........................................

Ronaldo awoke to the van pulling up to the back of  the fryshop, a moment later his father said "we're home", before stepping out of the van, and going inside, after a moment,  Peedee opened his own door, and then walk around to his brother's.

"Erm" he said, opening the van door, "are you doing okay?" Ronaldo shook his head, "I've lost my skin" he said, " and" he swallowed "I... don't feel good" he looked down.

Peedee sagged, " I know" he muttered, there was a pause, "I'm not doing well either" he said quickly,  "I just... feel empty". After a long moment of silence, Ronaldo said "yeah"' after another moment, Peedee said " I think our entire family needs therapy".

"Uh, Peedee" said Ronaldo, "I think my skin is under the seat" Peedee whipped his head around "what?". Ronaldo reached under the seat, and pulled out the skin that they had assumed was lost, it was carefully folded, and it's wound seemed to have been treated. "I can't believe it!"said Peedee, " me neither" said  his brother, pulling him into a hug.


End file.
